Combined drawing board and container for artistic materials

ABSTRACT

A combined drawing board and container for artistic materials which may alternatively be used as a briefcaselike container for the artistic materials or as a drawing board for them.

United States Patent Frederick J. Valdes 307 East 44 St., New York, N.Y. 10017 50,376

June 29, 1970 Nov. 16, 1971 Inventor Appl. No. Filed Patented COMBINED DRAWING BOARD AND CONTAINER FOR ARTISTIC MATERIALS 3 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

U.S. Cl 206/1.7, 206/1 R, 206/17.1, 206/45.2, 248/455 Int. Cl B44d 3/00 Field of Search 248/441,

451,455; 206/1.7, 1.8, 1.9, l R, 45.23,17.1,DIG. 9,452

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,577,056 3/1926 Bjork 206/1.7 1,702,279 2/1929 Siomka 206/17.1

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,376,452 9/1954 France 206]] 7.1 1,501,989 10/1967 France 206/l7.1

Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner-Steven E. Lipman AtlorneyKenyon & Kenyon Reilly Carr & Chapin ABSTRACT: A combined drawing board and container for artistic materials which may alternatively be used as a briefcaselike container for the artistic materials or as a drawing board for them.

PATENTEDuuv 16 Ian SHEET 1 BF 2 PAIENTEBunv 16 um 3. 620,362

SHEET 2 or 2 INVENI'OR. fc'ose/ck J M14053 COMBINED DRAWING BOARD AND CONTAINER FOR ARTISTIC MATERIALS SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The purpose of this invention is to provide for artists a neat convenient manually portable package, containing artistic working materials and a small disassembled drawing board, which package may alternatively be carried about closed in the manner of a small briefcase, or opened so that the drawing board may be easily assembled for use with the artistic working materials as occasion requires, and thereafter disassembled and repackaged with the artistic materials. The drawing board serves alternatively as a drawing board or as the containing wall of the package, a U-shaped spring member being used alternatively as a closure of one side of the containing wall of the package or as a leg supporting the rear of the drawing board, when in use as a drawing board, at a convenient angle of tilt for the user.

THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention.

FIG. 1 shows the assembled package, while FIGS. 2 and 3 are cross sections along the lines 2-2 and 33, respectively, of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows in exploded form, the opened package with the contents laid out ready for assembly of the drawing board.

FIG. 5 shows the drawing board, working surface down, to illustrate how the U-shaped spring member may be inserted as a leg of the assembled drawing board, while FIG. 6 shows the drawing board assembled for use.

FIG. 7 is a cross section along lines 77 of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In the drawings, drawing board 1 having a drawing surface 2 which will be upward when the drawing board is in use as a drawing board as in FIG. 6, has U-shaped channels 3 extending inwardly along the bottom surface 2A of the board along the sides 4 and 5. An elongated U-shaped spring member 6 serves as a support at the rear of the drawing board to tilt it to an angle convenient for the user in front when the drawing board is in use at a drawing board (FIG. 6). For this purpose the legs 7 of the member 6 will extend at right angles to the board and spring engage the outer walls of channels 3, so that the base 8 of the U-shaped spring member 6 may rest on a table when the front end of the drawing board also rests on the table before the user.

The member 6 has a dual function as illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4 which show the drawing board as a convenient manually portable container for artistic materials which may be embedded in a frame of plastic or foam material 9. For example, the artistic materials may be pens, triangles, a T- square, or assorted other artistic tools normally used by an artist when the board is assembled for use as a drawing board as illustrated in FIG. 6. In FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, the board is illustrated as used as a containing wall of the package, the U- shaped spring member 6 being used as a closure of one side of the drawing board between the channels 3. That is to say, that the legs 7 of the member 6 spring engage the interior of the channels 3 so that the base 8 of the member 6 closes one side of the package by extending between the two channels 3. It will thus be seen that the artistic materials or the frame 9 may be easily slid into the channels 3 and restrained therein by the base 8. In this manner, the artistic materials and the disassembled drawing board may be conveniently transported by hand in the manner of a small briefcase.

It will be apparent that the combined drawing board and container may be sold as a neat commercial package assembled as in FIG. 1 in which state it is conveniently portable by hand as indicated. It will then contain all the required artistic tools on the frame 9 when it is slid into the channels 3 against the base 8 of the spring member 6. When the artist chooses to disassemble the package for artistic work as in FIG. 6, he will slide the artistic material and the frame 9 out of the channels 3 and then remove the U-shaped spring member 8 from its package closing position (FIG. 1) and place it in that shown in FIG. 6. In other words, he will merely place the legs 7 in the position shown in FIG. 6 (in notches 10) so that their spring tension presses against the outer walls of channels 3 to hold the legs in vertical position with respect to the drawing board 1, and thus, set the board at the appropriate angle of tilt for the user (FIG. 6). A booklet ll of artistic instructions, sketches or similar literary material may be included in the package within channels 3.

What is claimed is:

l. A manually portable combination drawing board and container for a frame of artistic materials for use on the board comprising:

a drawing board having inwardly directed U-shaped channels extending along two sides of the bottom of the board for containing artistic materials; and

a U-shaped spring member for alternatively tilting the board when in use as a drawing board or closing another side of the bottom of the board when in use as a container of the artistic materials, the spring member having a base portion of size and shape to fit between the U-shaped channels along said other side to close said other side when the board is in use as a container of the artistic materials, and legs extending from the base portion for spring engagement with the interior of the channels, the legs also being adapted for spring engagement with the channels while extending at substantially right angles to and downward from the bottom of the board whereby the U-shaped spring member forms a tilting member for the board when in use as a drawing board.

2. As an article of commerce, a package including the combination as in claim 1 and a frame of artistic materials within said channels with said spring member in position closing said other side.

3. A package as in claim 2 including a booklet of artistic literary material within said channels. 

1. A manually portable combination drawing board and container for a frame of artistic materials for use on the board comprising: a drawing board having inwardly directed U-shaped channels extending along two sides of the bottom of the board for containing artistic materials; and a U-shaped spring member for alternatively tilting the board when in use as a drawing board or closing another side of the bottom of the board when in use as a container of the artistic materials, the spring member having a base portion of size and shape to fit between the U-shaped channels along said other side to close said other side when the board is in use as a container of the artistic materials, and legs extending from the base portion for spring engagement with the interior of the channels, the legs also being adapted for spring engagement with the channels while extending at substantially right angles to and downward from the bottom of the board whereby the Ushaped spring member forms a tilting member for the board when in use as a drawing board.
 2. As an article of commerce, a package including the combination as in claim 1 and a frame of artistic materials within said channels with said spring member in position closing said other side.
 3. A package as in claim 2 including a booklet of artistic literary material within said channels. 